Posted on 10/17/2003 2:22:00 PM PDT by ahadams2
CHURCH SOCIETY ON PRIMATES STATEMENT
Thursday 16th October 2003
Initial Response from Church Society to the Statement by the Anglican Primates
We welcome the recognition by the Primates of the Anglican Communionthat the actions of liberal revisionists have destroyed the unity of the Communion. The authorisation of same-sex blessings in New Westminster and appointment of an actively homosexual man as Bishop of New Hampshire are contrary to biblical teaching. Revisionists have put their own narrow self-interests above the unity of the greater Anglican family.
We are profoundly disappointed that the Primates as a body have not yet taken decisive action. They have not rebuked false teaching. In addition, it was in their power to call upon the Archbishop of Canterbury to exclude ECUSA from further gatherings of the Primates and indeed from the Communion. We had looked for a categorical statement from the Primates that ECUSA and New Westminster had separated itself from the Communion by their schismatic action.
However the Primates make plain that if the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire goes ahead in November it will result in the break up of the Anglican Communion.
We are grateful to the lead given by many of the Primates from the global-south whose Churches are vibrant and who remain faithful to biblical teaching. We are also grateful for the help given by many of them to faithful Anglicans in the US and Canada who are being hounded by liberal revisionists.
We long for all people, regardless of sexual inclination and practice, to hear the good news of Jesus and know the transforming love of God in their lives. We recommit ourselves to uphold the Church as a caring, loving and inclusive body under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
As events unfold over the months ahead, mainstream Anglicans in England who uphold the biblical teaching at the heart of the Church of England, will wish to remain in fellowship with the great majority of the Anglican Communion who reject the schismatic innovations of New Westminster, Oxford, ECUSA and other places. The Bible, our Articles and Canons require us to expose the schismatic actions of those who teach error and lead people into sin.
For further information please contact: Revd David Phillips, General Secretary (01923-235111 / 07801-265049) Revd George Curry, Chairman (0191-273-4680 / 0775-287-2550)
Church Society exists to uphold biblical teaching and to promote and defend the character of the Church of England as a reformed and national Church.
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